Pain in the side of the neck

Neck pain from the side is pain from one or both side surfaces of the neck. Soreness may be accompanied by redness and swelling of the skin, restrictions on head movements, and an increase in body temperature. Cervicalgia develops with inflammatory processes in the muscles and organs of the neck, osteochondrosis and spinal injuries, pathologies of the cervical vessels. To determine the cause of the symptom, ultrasound, X-ray examination, examination of ENT organs are performed. Analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy procedures are used to relieve pain.

Causes of Side Neck Pain
Staying in an uncomfortable position
Myositis
Acquired torticollis
Pharyngeal abscess
Lymphadenitis
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Traumatic injuries
Tumors of the neck organs
Lesion of the vessels of the neck
Pathologies of the brain
Reflected pains
Rare reasons
Diagnostics
Treatment
Help before diagnosis
Conservative therapy
Surgical treatment
Prices for treatment
Causes of Side Neck Pain
Staying in an uncomfortable position
Short-term pain on the side of the neck is possible in absolutely healthy people. It is characterized by the appearance of soreness in the morning, immediately after waking up – due to sleeping on a too high or uncomfortable pillow, the right or left side of the neck hurts. Also, a person complains of stiffness of the spine in the cervical part, difficulties with turns and tilts of the head. In typical cases, discomfort disappears within 15-20 minutes, prolonged retention of pain indicates pathological processes in the musculoskeletal system.

The symptom often develops in gamers, programmers and other people who work a lot of time at the computer and at the same time do not maintain the correct posture. Pains in the side muscles of the neck appear more often in the evening, after a working day. Similar disorders are observed in people with scoliosis who walk with their torso and head bent, which causes an overstrain of the neck muscles on the side on one side. Frequent episodes of cervicalgia or high intensity of pain syndrome are indications for contacting a specialist to exclude a more serious cause of discomfort.

Myositis
Inflammatory diseases of the cervical musculature are provoked by hypothermia, being in a draft, sudden movements of the head. The neck begins to ache from the side when the sternocleidomastoid or other muscles of this group are affected. Pain in cervical myositis is sharp, shooting, and increases with head movements, after muscle overstrain. The skin above the inflamed muscles acquires a reddish hue, there is swelling and slight asymmetry of the neck. Symptoms persist for 4-5 days, then the pain in the neck subsides.

Acquired torticollis
Pathological deformity of the cervical region, which is combined with moderate pain on the side of the lesion, occurs in adults due to spinal injuries, extensive scars after skin burns. With a torticollis , a characteristic head position is observed: it is tilted sideways to the sore muscle, while the chin and face are turned in the opposite direction. At any attempt to change the tilt of the head, sharp pains are felt on the one hand, due to stretching of the muscles. When returning to the forced position, the soreness on the side of the neck decreases, but does not disappear.

Pharyngeal abscess
During the formation of an abscess in the pharyngeal tissue, sharp shooting or pulsating pains on the side of the neck and throat with irradiation into the mastoid process of the occipital bone, teeth bother. The pain syndrome can be so severe that patients with a pharyngeal abscess refuse to eat and drink, prefer not to talk, so as not to aggravate the suffering. Pain in the neck on the right may be combined with respiratory disorders due to partial overlap of the laryngeal and tracheal lumen. To reduce soreness, a person takes a forced position with his head thrown back and tilted towards the lesion.

Lymphadenitis
Pain sensations of varying intensity on the side surfaces of the neck may be associated with inflammatory processes in the lymph nodes located in the submandibular and posterior regions. Lymphadenitis is caused by such causes as acute respiratory viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections of the oral cavity, respiratory tract. The pain can be unilateral and bilateral, depending on the number of lymph nodes involved in the process. Patients describe pain sensations as sharp, pulsating, shooting. The skin above the inflamed formations is red, tense, edematous.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
With degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, nerve endings and roots are often infringed, which leads to “lumbago” when the neck hurts on the left or right side. The symptom occurs suddenly. The pain is very strong, sometimes a person literally “freezes” in one position and is afraid to move, so as not to aggravate the pain in the cervical region. Cervicalgia is often accompanied by irradiation in the upper arm, shoulder or shoulder blade. The duration of the attack varies from a few minutes to an hour, after the pain subsides, discomfort and tension of the neck muscles remain.

Chronic damage to intervertebral discs, protrusions and hernias are common causes of cervical or occipital neuralgia, manifested by pain syndrome in the area of the lateral surface of the neck. In addition to spontaneous soreness, hypersensitivity of the skin on the side is revealed, unpleasant sensations disturb even with light touches and combing of the hair. In the case of intense pain that extends to the angle of the scapula and collarbone, they talk about rib-scapular syndrome.

Traumatic injuries
Intense pain in the neck from the side, combined with limited mobility of the head, is characteristic of dislocations and subluxations of the cervical vertebrae. At the same time, deformation develops, at the border of hair growth from behind, a protruding bone formation can be felt. A sharp throbbing pain appears with direct blows to the side of the neck. In this case, abrasions or bruises are visible at the site of the injury, the affected area is hyperemic, asymmetry is observed. The volume of movements is sharply limited, a person tries to keep his head still.

Tumors of the neck organs
Malignant neoplasms of the internal organs of the cervical region are often accompanied by pain of varying intensity. The pain increases gradually: at first there is discomfort and periodic moderate pain, then the pain syndrome increases and becomes unbearable. Other symptoms develop — difficulty swallowing, hemoptysis, enlargement and asymmetry of the cervical region. Neck pain from the side causes such tumor causes as:

Neoplasms of the pharynx: squamous cell carcinoma, verrucous carcinoma, lymphoepithelioma.
Laryngeal tumors: fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, intraepithelial carcinoma.
Neoplasia of the thyroid and parathyroid glands: follicular, papillary and medullary cancers, parathyroid adenomas.
Lesion of the vessels of the neck
A feeling of bursting and dull pain in the neck from the side are observed with the expansion of the jugular veins, which is typical for the syndrome of the superior vena cava, which occurs when it is compressed. The pain syndrome is accompanied by swelling of the face and neck, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle. Increased blood filling of the cervical veins is accompanied by involuntary shaking or nodding of the head. Side soreness in the cervical region is also found in atherosclerosis of the main vessels, varicose veins of the neck.

Pathologies of the brain
In neurological diseases, pain usually spreads from the head to the back and side of the neck. This complication is most characteristic of the inflammatory process of the meninges, which gradually passes to the cervical segments of the spinal cord. The symptom can be caused by various causes (meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhages), which manifest a similar clinical picture: patients complain of severe pain in the head and neck, nausea and vomiting, impaired consciousness.

Reflected pains
In some pathologies, the pain syndrome is localized at a distance from the actual lesion. Pain in the neck on the right is characteristic of inflammatory processes in the gallbladder. The symptom is caused by irritation of the fibers of the right diaphragmatic nerve, which passes between the fibers of the muscle connecting the sternum and collarbone with the mastoid process of the occipital bone. Pain syndrome on the left occurs when the pancreas, spleen is affected. The pain increases when pressing on the abdomen in the projection area of the corresponding organs (frenicus is a symptom).

Rare reasons
Anomalies of musculoskeletal structures: Grizel syndrome, the presence of additional cervical ribs.
Congenital diseases: Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome, multiple arthrogryposis.
Cervical migraine.
Systemic connective tissue diseases: ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis.
Massive infectious processes: erysipelas, herpes zoster.
Cardiovascular pathology: acute coronary syndrome, angina attacks, hypertension.
Diagnostics
Patients who have a sore neck from the side require an initial consultation with a general practitioner or a traumatologist, then, according to the indications, the person is sent to related specialists. Diagnostic search involves the implementation of modern instrumental imaging methods to determine the cause of pain, the appointment of additional laboratory tests. The most informative are:

Sonography. Ultrasound of the cervical region is used to study the condition of internal organs, lymph nodes and endocrine glands. The study allows you to detect bulky formations, ulcers, cysts. Additionally, ultrasound of the abdominal organs is performed.
X-ray examination. To exclude the vertebrogenic cause of neck pain on the right, X-ray SHOP is performed in direct and lateral projections. In case of suspected dislocations or traumatic injuries, an Atlanta is photographed through the mouth.
Examination of ENT organs. Often the pain syndrome is caused by severe respiratory tract diseases, therefore pharyngoscopy and indirect laryngoscopy are necessary. If suspicious signs are detected, an endoscopy of the larynx and pharynx is performed.
Neurological examination. Neck pain can be a consequence of pathological processes in the central nervous system, therefore, superficial and deep tendon reflexes, coordination of movements are necessarily studied. If necessary, CT or MRI of the brain is performed.
Biochemical blood analysis. The levels of acute phase indicators and the percentage of protein fractions are determined, which is necessary to exclude signs of the inflammatory process. Liver tests and pancreatic enzymes are evaluated, as well as a general blood test.
When volume formations of the thyroid gland are detected on ultrasound, a fine needle biopsy of the node is required, followed by cytomorphological examination. Be sure to do a blood test for thyroid-stimulating hormones of the pituitary gland, T3 and T4, parathyroid hormone. In some cases, duplex scanning of the neck vessels is required to assess the blood flow rate. If it is assumed that the superior vena cava is compressed, an OGC radiography is shown, which allows to exclude mediastinal tumors.

Treatment
Help before diagnosis
The appearance of neck pain on the right or left can be a sign of various pathological conditions, so the patient needs a specialist’s consultation. Before establishing an accurate diagnosis, the patient must observe physiological rest for the neck, avoid heavy physical exertion and prolonged work at the computer. With severe pain syndrome, it is allowed to take painkillers, NSAIDs. The use of physiotherapeutic methods of treatment and warming compresses is prohibited until the cause of the disease is clarified.

The collar of the Trench fixes the neck and eliminates the pain syndrome
The collar of the Trench fixes the neck and eliminates the pain syndrome
Conservative therapy
Medical tactics for neck pain depends on the cause of the disorder. If cervicalgia is short-lived, caused by sharp turns of the head, an uncomfortable position of the neck during sleep or work, you can limit yourself to physiotherapy. To relieve muscle spasm, it is recommended to wear a Trench collar for 2 weeks. After excluding the tumor cause of pain, thermal procedures and compresses are prescribed. For chronic pain, reflexotherapy, exercise therapy are used. The following medications are used as etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy:

Analgesics. The drugs are indicated for all types of severe neck pain, which cause discomfort and impair performance. NSAIDs, in addition to analgesic, have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Antibacterial agents. Purulent processes in the pharyngeal space serve as the basis for the beginning of massive antibacterial therapy. Antibiotics are selected taking into account the sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms. The course usually lasts at least 14 days.
Local funds. Blockades with injectable anesthetics are recommended for unbearable pain that cannot be treated with NSAIDs. Compresses with topical corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory drugs, which are diluted with dimexide, can also be applied.
Chondroprotectors. In osteochondrosis, preparations of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate are indicated to slow down degenerative processes in the cartilage tissue of the vertebrae. The products improve the nutrition of cartilage, promote rapid regeneration.
Cytostatics. For the treatment of the oncological cause of pain in the neck, drugs from the group of antimetabolites and alkylating compounds are used. If necessary, chemotherapeutic agents are combined with radiation therapy.
Surgical treatment
In severe osteochondrosis, surgical interventions aimed at decompression of the spinal canal should be carried out. Discectomy, laminectomy and foraminotomy are used. If the disease is complicated by an intervertebral hernia, its surgical removal is necessary. With pharyngeal abscesses, surgical opening of the abscess and subsequent washing of the cavity with antibiotic solutions are performed. To correct the torticollis, dissection of the fibers of the damaged muscle, excision of keloid scars on the skin is used.

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